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Psalm 26

Of David.

1 Vindicate me,Lord,for I have led a blameless life;I have trusted in the Lordand have not faltered.2 Test me,Lord, and try me,examine my heart and my mind;3 for I have always been mindful of your unfailing loveand have lived in reliance on your faithfulness.

4 I do not sit with the deceitful,nor do I associate with hypocrites.5 I abhor the assembly of evildoersand refuse to sit with the wicked.6 I wash my hands in innocence,and go about your altar, Lord,7 proclaiming aloud your praiseand telling of all your wonderful deeds.

8 Lord, I love the house where you live,the place where your glory dwells.9 Do not take away my soul along with sinners,my life with those who are bloodthirsty,10 in whose hands are wicked schemes,whose right hands are full of bribes.11 I lead a blameless life;deliver me and be merciful to me.

12 My feet stand on level ground;in the great congregation I will praise the Lord.

Psalm 27

Of David.

1 The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear?The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?

2 When the wicked advance against meto devour[a] me,it is my enemies and my foeswho will stumble and fall.3 Though an army besiege me,my heart will not fear;though war break out against me,even then I will be confident.

4 One thing I ask from the Lord,this only do I seek:that I may dwell in the house of the Lordall the days of my life,to gaze on the beauty of the Lordand to seek him in his temple.5 For in the day of troublehe will keep me safe in his dwelling;he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tentand set me high upon a rock.

6 Then my head will be exaltedabove the enemies who surround me;at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy;I will sing and make music to the Lord.

7 Hear my voice when I call, Lord;be merciful to me and answer me.8 My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”Your face, Lord, I will seek.9 Do not hide your face from me,do not turn your servant away in anger;you have been my helper.Do not reject me or forsake me,God my Savior.10 Though my father and mother forsake me,the Lord will receive me.11 Teach me your way,Lord;lead me in a straight pathbecause of my oppressors.12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,for false witnesses rise up against me,spouting malicious accusations.

13 I remain confident of this:I will see the goodness of the Lordin the land of the living.14 Wait for the Lord;be strong and take heartand wait for the Lord.

Psalm 28

Of David.

1 To you, Lord, I call;you are my Rock,do not turn a deaf ear to me.For if you remain silent,I will be like those who go down to the pit.2 Hear my cry for mercyas I call to you for help,as I lift up my handstoward your Most Holy Place.

3 Do not drag me away with the wicked,with those who do evil,who speak cordially with their neighborsbut harbor malice in their hearts.4 Repay them for their deedsand for their evil work;repay them for what their hands have doneand bring back on them what they deserve.

5 Because they have no regard for the deeds of the Lordand what his hands have done,he will tear them downand never build them up again.

6 Praise be to the Lord,for he has heard my cry for mercy.7 The Lord is my strength and my shield;my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.My heart leaps for joy,and with my song I praise him.

8 The Lord is the strength of his people,a fortress of salvation for his anointed one.9 Save your people and bless your inheritance;be their shepherd and carry them forever.

2 When they heard him speak to them in Aramaic, they became very quiet.

Then Paul said:3 “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. I studied under Gamaliel and was thoroughly trained in the law of our ancestors. I was just as zealous for God as any of you are today.4 I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison,5 as the high priest and all the Council can themselves testify. I even obtained letters from them to their associates in Damascus, and went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished.

6 “About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me.7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, ‘Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?’

8 “‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked.

“ ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,’ he replied.9 My companions saw the light, but they did not understand the voice of him who was speaking to me.

10 “‘What shall I do, Lord?’ I asked.

“ ‘Get up,’ the Lord said, ‘and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do.’11 My companions led me by the hand into Damascus, because the brilliance of the light had blinded me.

12 “A man named Ananias came to see me. He was a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there.13 He stood beside me and said, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ And at that very moment I was able to see him.

14 “Then he said: ‘The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth.15 You will be his witness to all people of what you have seen and heard.16 And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.’

17 “When I returned to Jerusalem and was praying at the temple, I fell into a trance18 and saw the Lord speaking to me. ‘Quick!’ he said. ‘Leave Jerusalem immediately, because the people here will not accept your testimony about me.’

19 “‘Lord,’ I replied, ‘these people know that I went from one synagogue to another to imprison and beat those who believe in you.20 And when the blood of your martyr[a] Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.’

21 “Then the Lord said to me, ‘Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’ ”

Paul the Roman Citizen

22 The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, “Rid the earth of him! He’s not fit to live!”

23 As they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air,24 the commander ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks. He directed that he be flogged and interrogated in order to find out why the people were shouting at him like this.25 As they stretched him out to flog him, Paul said to the centurion standing there, “Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who hasn’t even been found guilty?”

26 When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and reported it. “What are you going to do?” he asked. “This man is a Roman citizen.”

27 The commander went to Paul and asked, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?”

“Yes, I am,” he answered.

28 Then the commander said, “I had to pay a lot of money for my citizenship.”

“But I was born a citizen,” Paul replied.

29 Those who were about to interrogate him withdrew immediately. The commander himself was alarmed when he realized that he had put Paul, a Roman citizen, in chains.

Paul Before the Sanhedrin

30 The commander wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused by the Jews. So the next day he released him and ordered the chief priests and all the members of the Sanhedrin to assemble. Then he brought Paul and had him stand before them.